Could a week change forever?
by Fionalynne
Summary: Horatio ends up rescuing someone and wonders whether life will ever be the same
1. Chapter 1

**Could A Week Change Forever?**

**Monday Evening**

Horatio and Eric were having a beer and relaxing after a particularly harrowing case, when suddenly Eric's eye was caught by a new arrival. She was alone, and Eric heard her ask the bartender for a diet coke before seating herself on a stool not far from the table where the two men were sitting. It was, however, her expression that had initially attracted Eric's attention; she looked lost and a little lonely. He nudged Horatio. 'Look H, that's odd!'

Horatio glanced at the woman. 'What's odd Eric?' he replied absently, his mind still half pre-occupied with the case they'd just wrapped up.

'Oh come on H, wake up, do! To start with, she's on her own, secondly, she's just asked for a diet coke, and who drinks that, in this city, unless they're under 18!

Horatio took a second, longer look at the woman. Being slightly more observant than his younger colleague, and also more perceptive, he noticed that – as well as the expression that had attracted Eric- she seemed decidedly scared and upset. Her hand shook slightly as she sipped her drink, and she looked as if she was trying not to cry. It made her seem oddly vulnerable, and the protective instinct, that had made Horatio Caine one of the best Crime Lab Supervisors in the country, suddenly kicked in. 'You're right Eric, that **is** odd, it looks like there's something wrong. Maybe we should investigate.'

Eric shot his boss an exasperated look. 'For goodness sake H, we're supposed to be off duty! She's probably just split up with her boyfriend or something!'

'Maybe so, Eric' replied Horatio, 'but as you said, she's alone and we both know it's not safe to be on your own in this kind of neighbourhood- especially as evening's drawing on! We need to do something about it!'

Eric sighed, but he knew that the older man was right, they **should** do something but he wasn't quite sure exactly what. 'Okay H, I suppose you want me to go and ask her what's wrong?'

Horatio studied the woman for a moment before making his mind up. 'Hmm, actually Eric, I think I'd better deal with it. I've got a bit more tact than you, and this may take careful handling. You get off home okay, and I'll see you the day after tomorrow.'

As Eric left the bar, he wondered at Horatio's last words. He knew that he tended to go at things like a bull in a china shop, but the woman didn't seem like H's type, so Eric couldn't understand why Horatio had been so insistent that he should be the one to deal with it. Then he laughed to himself, it was probably just H's protective instinct again!

Meanwhile, Horatio, having finished his beer, went to the bar to get another. He was waiting to order, when he heard a male voice say 'Well hello darlin', all on your lonesome huh? Lemme buy you a drink?' 

He turned slightly and saw a large roughneck sitting next to the woman that he and Eric had noticed. She seemed to freeze for just an instant, before replying icily 'No thank you!' and turning back to her drink.

The roughneck took no notice, leaned over and tried to put an arm around her, saying 'Aw, c'mon gorgeous, stop playin' hard to get! I'm gonna show you a real good time!'

She slipped from his grasp and moved to the stool next to Horatio, at the same time saying even more frostily 'I've already said NO once, now kindly leave me alone!'

Horatio couldn't quite place her accent, but she wasn't a local or she would've left the bar by now – therefore not giving her would-be suitor a chance to try again-, which he promptly did! Moving to the stool next to her, he reached for her again, saying as he did so, 'C'mon you cutie, you may as well give in now, 'cause we both know how this is gonna end! It's time for us to have some fun!'

Horatio decided it was time for him to intervene, as this lout didn't seem able to take a hint, so he stepped forward, saying firmly 'The Lady has requested that you leave her alone. I suggest that you do as she asks, and leave **now!**'

The roughneck looked the older man up and down, with an insolent air, taking in the suit, his age and the fact that he looked definitely an "office type". 'Oh yeah, and just who's gonna make me Ginger? You? I don't think so!' he sneered.

'Oh I think that I can manage that' replied Horatio, casually drawing back the left side of his jacket and showing his badge.

The other mans eyes widened, and he backed off a bit, before saying 'Sorry Officer, just a joke y'know! Sorry lady, I'm leavin'!'

He swung round, and left the bar in a hurry, while Horatio turned to the woman and softly asked 'Are you okay?'

She looked up at him and replied 'Yes thank you, and thank you for getting rid of that obnoxious fellow, he didn't seem to want to listen to me!'

'Unfortunately, there's a lot of people like that around here, you really ought not to be here alone' Horatio said. Allow me to introduce myself, Lieutenant Horatio Caine of the Miami- Dade Crime Lab'.

She shook his proffered hand and said 'I'm Fiona, Fiona Curtis'.

By now, Horatio had managed to place her accent. 'Hey, you're English, are you here on vacation?'

'I'm actually Welsh, and yes, I'm here on holiday, arrived yesterday afternoon, but as for being here alone......' she stopped, and sighed deeply. 'Well I don't really have anywhere else to go at the moment!'

'How's that?' asked Horatio. 'Surely you didn't come on vacation on your own? Oh, by the way, would you allow me to buy you a drink? I'm having one, and I'd be pleased if you would join me. What would you like?'

'Well, if you insist, I'll have a diet coke please' she replied. Seeing Horatio's surprise, she explained. 'My parents never drank, so I never really took to it. I was also brought up to understand that there's no shame in saying "No, I don't want to" so I avoided becoming a victim of Peer Pressure too! Oh I might have maybe, half a Lager and Lime, or some wine occasionally, but really I'm happier sticking to soft drinks if I go out. At least I know that I'll be able to remember what I was doing the previous night!'

Horatio chuckled, even while remembering just how often his team had been called out to deal with the grim aftermath of drunken antics.

Having paid for the drinks, he suggested that they sit somewhere a little more comfortable, and carried both drinks over to a table in the corner, before courteously pulling out a chair to allow Fiona to sit down and then taking the seat opposite her.

'You were saying about having nowhere else to go?' he prompted, once they were both settled.

She sighed again. 'Oh that! It's this way; I came on holiday with my workmate, Monica. She'd paid for the tickets etc. but her boyfriend dumped her almost at the last minute, so, as she knew I was off, she asked me to join her instead. We arrived yesterday afternoon, but, while we were on the beach today, she managed to find herself another bloke, and decided she wanted a bit of privacy. So this evening, she turfed me out of the room, telling me not to go back until at least 10.30pm. Therefore, I'm stuck with nowhere to go. I haven't yet had time to find out what evening entertainment is on offer, so I'll just have to wander around until it's time to go back to the hotel. I might go for a walk along the beach perhaps'.

By now, a horrified Horatio was mentally cursing the absent friend. She seemed to be the type who selfishly did what **she** wanted all the time, and never mind the consequences on other people! He'd dealt with cases all too similar in the past, and they invariably took their toll on someone- usually, in his experience, the innocent party! He carefully masked his anger, and asked 'Is this your first time in the US?'

'It's my first trip abroad anywhere! To be honest, I was scared stiff setting foot on that plane, I really had no idea what to expect, so I actually shut my eyes during take-off! Once we were up in the air though, it was much better- I couldn't see so much unless I looked down!'

Horatio smiled at her candid confession. 'I should think it would be scary your first time, however, at least you'll know now what to expect when you go home. Sometimes it helps if you're not sitting in a window seat apparently. But how is it you've not been abroad before? Didn't you go on trips when you were younger?'

'Wasn't really able to, as mum was disabled- she had rheumatoid arthritis- and on crutches from when I was little, so any holidays we **did** go on were usually to relatives. Once I'd reached my late teens, as mum was mainly in a wheelchair by then, once a year mum and dad would go on a special holiday designed for disabled people and their carers.' Fiona explained.

'But didn't you go with friends once you'd left school?'

I don't really think I have many friends. As mum got worse, I cared for her if dad wasn't there, and we lived at least eight miles from the nearest town, so as public transport wasn't good, I didn't get to go out often like everyone else. Also to be honest, I didn't seem to have much in common with my schoolmates- I liked different stuff from them, and they all thought I was weird! It was a good job I liked reading!' She looked pensive for a moment, remembering.

Horatio fleetingly wondered how lonely her childhood had been to bring that look into her eyes. Even though his own youth had been pretty horrific, at least he'd had his younger brother, Ray, to share it with. From the sound of it, Fiona hadn't had anyone. To cover the awkward moment, he asked 'So what do you think of Miami?'

'I like what I've seen so far, but considering that it's only been the inside of the hotel room and the beach, I probably don't think my opinion would be worth you listening to! What I'd **really** like' she continued, 'would be to go sightseeing, because apparently there's some nice scenery, museums and stuff. However, as Monica is more of a "beach" person- and I am technically her guest! - I suppose......' she sighed, 'I ought to do what she wants. Although it's not going to be much fun playing gooseberry, if she carries on seeing that bloke!'

Her words had given Horatio a surprising idea, although he said nothing of it at present. He changed the subject. 'Have you eaten yet this evening, Fiona?' he asked her.

'Not yet, as I wasn't really hungry' she replied. 'But I suppose I'd better find a fast food restaurant before it gets too late. Would you know where the nearest one is?'

'I have a better idea, why don't you let me take you to dinner? he suggested. 'I haven't eaten yet either- the Lab has just wrapped up a difficult case- so I would be honoured if you would join me. Please say you will, it's no fun eating alone!'

She looked startled for a moment. 'Oh goodness, I'm not exactly dressed for dinner, and anyway, why on earth would you want to take a perfect stranger out? You know nothing whatsoever about me, so I could be a total villain for all you know!'

By this time, Horatio was definitely intrigued. Most women in Miami would not only have jumped at the chance he was offering, they would have been hinting at something more than dessert for afterwards! Fiona however, did neither; she just sat looking at him a little anxiously.

'Look, criminalists need to have good instincts, and the little I've learned about you so far means that I'd like to know more. As for you not being dressed for dinner, I think you look very charming as you are, and we won't go anywhere fancy. I know quite a few unpretentious places, where the food is good and the atmosphere more relaxed. Do please say you'll come? he coaxed.

She hesitated a moment longer, then relaxed and acquiesced. 'Well, if you're completely sure about it, then thank you Lieutenant, I'd be happy to accept your invitation.'

He smiled at her. 'Then that's settled, let's go, shall we?' As they walked towards the door, he said 'Please Fiona, do call me Horatio. If I hear Lieutenant all the time, I'll keep thinking I'm still on duty!' They laughed as they left the bar and headed for the parked Hummer. Fiona was very impressed when she saw it.

'Wow, that is some car! You know Horatio; I'm still getting used to people driving on the "wrong" side of the road. I nearly got run over this morning because of it!'

Horatio laughed as he opened the door and helped her into the Hummer's passenger seat. 'Well, we probably have the same trouble if we visit the UK, so I guess it evens itself out in the end. When I was younger, I used to think it'd be a good idea if both countries drove in the middle of each road, but since I became a cop, and then a CSI, I've realised that it wouldn't be practical! Just think of the havoc any major pile- ups would cause to my crime figures!' Fiona giggled appreciatively at this, as he started the Hummer, and they drove to the restaurant in an atmosphere of good- humoured harmony.

Over dinner, they discussed their various hobbies, and both were pleased when it turned out that they both liked some of the same books and music- although Horatio didn't have a lot of free time these days, due to the demanding nature of his job.

Fiona, in her turn, wanted to know about what Horatio did, so he broadly described the sort of thing that would happen at a crime scene, and exactly how much forensic work it took to actually ensure a conviction.

He also- by dint of subtly using his investigative techniques- managed to get her to open up about her earlier life, including the fact that she'd lost her mother five years ago- she said that the disability, by then, had meant that it was more of a blessing than anything else! - and that her father had only survived her by two years. He also learnt that she'd been married for six years, until her husband's death ten months ago. That had surprised him, as she had a naive quality, which was mixed with a hint of uncertainty that rather attracted him, despite everything.

Over coffee, he put forward the idea that had occurred to him earlier. 'Look Fiona, I don't know how you'd feel about it, but I have an unexpected day off tomorrow, so why don't I take you sightseeing? It'd be better than you having to be stuck on the beach with your friend and her new guy all day!'

He waited for the eager acceptance that he knew would come from most women, but all Fiona said was 'Why?'

'Why what?' he replied, confused.

'Why would you want to take me sightseeing? I mean, you've been very kind tonight, but I'm nowhere near the Pin- Up type that you're probably more used to going out with and I'd probably bore you to tears if you had to put up with me and my chatter for a whole day!'

Suddenly, he understood her uncertainty. She obviously had no illusions about herself, so, if her schoolmates had thought her weird, she didn't- by her own admission- have many friends, **and **the friend she was with looked like she'd turned out to be a bit of a user, she probably couldn't really believe that anyone would like her just for herself, so she was apprehensive in case something went wrong.

'Please Fiona; I'd really like to show you some of my favourite places. I hadn't made any other plans, as I wasn't expecting the day off, so I'm quite free! Maybe we could go out to the Everglades and could find a 'gator or two to show you? Do please say you will?' he said persuasively, with a flash of the elusive Caine grin.

'We...e...ll,' she replied hesitatingly. 'Well, alright, if you're positive about it, then I'm too tempted to be able to say no! Thank you Horatio!'

'It's entirely my pleasure, Fiona! Now, as it's getting rather late, I think we'd better get you back to your hotel. It's just on 10.30, so hopefully your friend will have gotten rid of her "guest". Where are you staying?'

She named a slightly down-market hotel, not far from the beach and he nodded. He knew of it, although it wasn't the type of place he'd been expecting (her friend obviously went for the less expensive places!) and it wasn't fifteen minutes away in the Hummer.

During the drive back to the hotel, Fiona remarked, half-shyly, 'By the way Horatio, if you'd like to shorten my name, you can call me Fi.' 'If you'd like to that is?' she added doubtfully.

They'd reached the hotel by this time and, as Horatio helped her out of the Hummer, he said 'That's nice, I like it and I'd love to if you really don't mind! Now, I'll pick you up here at around 10am tomorrow, if that's okay with you?'

'Perfectly okay, so I'll see you in the morning then, Horatio. Goodnight and thank you so much for tonight, it's been fun!'

He smiled warmly at her. 'Goodnight, Fi, see you tomorrow, don't worry about sunscreen, I'll bring some.' 'Oh and by the way, **my** friends call me just "H".' Horatio said just before he turned away.

He waited until she'd entered the hotel, before getting back in the Hummer and going home. Feeling refreshed by the encounter, he managed to get a better nights sleep than he had anticipated a scant few hours earlier.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the characters, I've only borrowed them.

This is chapter 2, please read and

**Tuesday**

Around 10.30pm on Tuesday night, while having a last coffee before bed, Horatio- as was his habit- reflected on the day's events. He realised that he hadn't spent such an interesting day off for a while, and also, surprisingly, hadn't been worried about how his team were coping without him-, which was what usually happened on his day off!

Fiona had provided the catalyst, he mused. Her enthusiasm for what he'd shown her had made him see things he'd known- and taken for granted- for years with fresh eyes.

She had been waiting when he'd arrived to pick her up, and he was pleased to see that she'd had the sense to wear a sunhat. As he helped her into the car, she'd mentioned that Monica had been a bit annoyed when she was told that Fiona wasn't joining her on the beach that day, as had been originally planned.

They'd started the sightseeing at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. Fiona had been enthralled by the 16th, 17th and 18th century artefacts, explaining that all the large museums (where such things were usually displayed) were in cities a long way from where she lived and, because such trips could be expensive, she didn't see such beautiful things very often.

After that, they'd moved on to tour the Cape Florida Lighthouse, where he'd taken her right to the top, in order to show her the impressive view. Then, after lunching in the Lighthouse cafe, they joined an airboat tour in the Everglades Safari Park. There, she had been fascinated by the variety of differing vegetation and wildlife to be found in the 'Glades. She was, however, less sanguine about her first glimpse of a 'gator, remarking that she'd be entirely happy if she "never got any closer to one than she was now, Thank you very much!"

During lunch, amongst other things, conversation had some how turned to differing sports. Horatio had been to quite a few "live" events and had always enjoyed the atmosphere, so he was surprised to find that Fi had only ever seen sports on TV. Spotting a poster advertising a basketball match that evening, he had instantly offered to take her- if she was interested that was- so that she could experience the "buzz" of watching a live game for herself. Once she'd realised that he really **did** mean what he'd said, she accepted his offer and so, after an early evening meal, the day had culminated in a visit to an exciting basketball match, which the home team had won by one point and with only seconds to spare!

Horatio had then driven her back to the hotel and, knowing that he was working the next day, had not attempted to prolong the evening by suggesting drinks. He did however, having seen her gazing longingly at a poster for a recently released movie, offer to take her to see it the following evening. He'd had to coax her into it as (ever unexpected); she was worried he might think she was taking advantage of him! Once he'd managed to reassure her on that point, she had finally agreed, so in case he got held up at work, he'd asked for her cell phone number so that he could contact her. He also made sure that she had his number, in case she needed to contact him for any reason. He was finding her an intriguing companion, and thought that the least he could do was ensure that she had as good a vacation as he could manage- work commitments permitting- while Monica went off with her new boyfriend.

All in all, he decided, draining his coffee, it had been an extremely good day!


	3. Chapter 3

Okay people, sorry for the mix up with chapter 2- I'm new to this publishing lark and still learning what to do! Also sorry for the delay with chapter 3- the 15yr old has first dibs on the house PC so I have to use the library when I can get there.

Please read and review- thanks!

**Wednesday**

Around 8.30am the next morning, Horatio, hands on hips, stood on the beach and studied the naked body of a young man, that lay, half buried in the sand. Alexx Woods, the M.E. was just completing her preliminary examination, talking tenderly to the victim, as was usual. He was just about to talk to her, when the detective who had been questioning the witnesses joined him.

'So what have we got Frank?'

'There's no way to ID the vic at the moment. He was found by a couple of early morning swimmers, so there's no telling exactly how long he's been here!'

'Hopefully, Alexx will be able to give us a Time Of Death, and we should be able to trace it from there. Did anyone else see anything?'

'Nope. However, there would seem to be a lot of similarities to the two homicides from last week. Didn't those two turn out to be tourists Horatio?' the big Texan asked.

'They did Frank- as did the two vics from the week before! Maybe you'd better start checking the hotels to see if you can turn up an ID on this latest one. In the meantime, I'll call Eric and ask him to cross check the other four cases'

'Will do H. I'll get uniform to help with that. But if this guy does turn out to be a tourist like the others, what's the Bottom Line?'

'The Bottom Line, my friend' replied the Lieutenant grimly, slipping on his shades, 'means that we have a Serial Tourist Killer on the loose!'

As Frank, looking perturbed, walked away, Horatio turned back to his medical examiner. 'What do we have, Alexx?'

'Possible Blunt Force Trauma to the skull, but I can confirm that when I get him back to the Lab. There's no sign of anything obvious on the body, but we'll know more once I finish the autopsy. You shouldn't end up like this, poor baby (she crooned to the corpse). Do we have an ID yet?'

'Frank is working on that as we speak. Keep me posted please Alexx, it looks like the clock may very well be ticking on this one!' Horatio replied, looking a little worried.

Horatio knew that they needed to catch this killer as soon as possible. Miami was, primarily, a tourist destination, but if word got around that someone was killing tourists, they'd all start deserting the city in droves, which would have a devastating effect on the local economy.

He had, however, another, more pressing reason for wanting the killer caught though. He also knew that, if any more murders occurred, there would be political pressure from above on both him and his team, which was something he could well do without! Not only did it detract from the case and make it hard for the team to maintain focus, but also pressure led to trying to rush when processing the evidence, which, in turn, tended to lead to mistakes.

Therefore, in an effort to minimise potential problems, he called Eric Delko and gave him the unwelcome task of cross- checking the previous four cases for similarities.

After ending the call, he decided to help CSI Wolfe process the scene. Ryan was turning into a good CSI, but he was still relatively inexperienced. Horatio would never ask a member of his team to do something that he wasn't prepared to do himself, so he gloved up in order to give Ryan a helping hand. However, before he could collect his kit, he heard an irate shout from the young CSI.

'Hey you, stop that! This is a crime scene and a restricted area!'

Horatio looked over and saw four men weaving in and out of the edge of the crime scene area, ducking under the police tape to do so. They were laughing and appeared to be showing off to someone watching on the sidelines. Horatio had started walking towards them, intent on backing up his CSI, when he heard a voice that he recognised.

'Look Monica, tell them to pack it in, would you please? It's **not** funny, and they could be damaging the crime scene. They're behaving like a bunch of little kids!'

'Ah, c'mon Li'l Miss Goody Goody, they're only having a bit of fun! They're enjoying themselves. Yay, go guys, go!'

Horatio glanced over, to see Fiona remonstrating with a buxom blonde, wearing a very brief beach suit, who was laughing and encouraging the men's antics. She tried again.

'Monica, please! Look, if they're not careful, they're going to get themselves arrested! Don't forget that the police over here all carry guns and they look, to me, as if they're not prepared to stand for any nonsense! Do tell them to stop!'

The blonde looked annoyed as she said 'Oh for goodness sake Fiona, you are such a fusser!' 'Ok guys, Little Miss Perfect here reckons that you might get arrested, so lets all hit the beach somewhere else instead' she yelled.

As the men rejoined the two women, and laughingly turned away from the crime scene, Fiona looked up, and caught sight of Horatio watching them. She was looking thoroughly ashamed and embarrassed, and mouthed 'Sorry 'bout that!' at him.

Horatio just smiled at her, and shook his head slightly. He knew that she wasn't to blame, but decided that, given her uncertainty, a bit of reassurance wouldn't go amiss. He swiftly sent her a "Don't worry, not your fault! See you later. Yrs, H" text, then put the whole incident out of his mind and concentrated on helping Ryan to process the crime scene.

An hour or so later, back at the Lab, Horatio was about to find Eric, to see if he'd managed to come up with anything, when he got a call from Alexx, asking him to come down to the morgue. For once, he opted to avoid using the viewing gallery, so joined the M.E. as she continued with the autopsy.

'What have you found so far then Alexx?'

'Well cause of death is definitely Blunt Force Trauma to the skull. There are at least three points of impact, so I can't be totally sure exactly which was the fatal blow. It may even have been a combination of all three! Judging by the state of the corpse, I estimate Time of Death at less than 10 hours, but not sooner than 8 hours.'

'So that means that he was probably killed at around 2.30am- 3.30am this morning. Anything else?'

'I'm very much afraid so Horatio! There are ligature marks on his wrists and ankles, so it looks like he was tied up. He's also been raped- and not just once either! I've sent the samples to DNA already.'

'Hmm, so it's possible that he was restrained during the rape to stop him fighting back. Any defensive wounds? And are the Tox screen results back yet?'

'No Tox results yet, and no defensive wounds that are immediately visible. I'll contact you when I have anything further. I have to finish checking you over, don't I, sugar!' She suddenly switched her attention from Horatio back to the corpse. Luckily, he was used to her habit of talking to her work, so it didn't faze him in the least.

'Good work, Alexx, keep me posted!' On that note, Horatio left the morgue to look for his brother in law. He found him in the layout room, comparing files on the previous four victims.

'What have you found Eric?'

'I've started by comparing the two male victims. Anders Jacobsen was the first vic, and Pierre Dubois was the third. Both were killed on a Tuesday night. The murders took place in their hotel bedrooms and the bodies dumped and buried on the beach. There were no witnesses.'

'So the beach would not appear to be our primary crime scene. I hope……..' Horatio's phone interrupted what he was saying. He checked the caller ID before answering it.

'Frank, do we have an ID on our latest vic yet?'

'Indeed we do, Horatio. His name is Antonio Lippi, age 27, and he's Italian. He was staying at the Majestic hotel, and his friends hadn't seen him since 11.30pm last night, when he complained of feeling unwell and came back to the hotel. They were just starting to worry when we showed up. I'm at the hotel now.'

'Why didn't his room- mate notice he was missing?'

'Antonio wasn't sharing with anyone, as one of the party broke his leg two days before the holiday started. The group were due to leave Miami tomorrow evening' the detective informed Horatio.

'Okay then, get a pass key for the room Mr Lippi was in, Frank and I'll send Eric and Calleigh over to process what looks very much like our primary crime scene'.

As he ended the call, Horatio turned to find Eric already heading towards the door.

'We got another crime scene to process then, H! What's the address?'

Horatio told him, adding 'Frank is already there, so he'll be able to give you and Calleigh a hand. Eric, I don't have to tell you that anything that we can turn up on this killer is going to be a bonus right now! It would appear that, hopefully, he's starting to make mistakes, as we don't usually uncover the primary crime scene so soon. If he makes enough mistakes, we'll get him, so be as thorough as possible okay?'

'Will do H! Oh, what should I..........?'

'I'll get Miss Boa Vista to take over these case files, so don't worry about it, just get going! I don't need to remind you that the clock is ticking on this one!'

Eric and Calleigh arrived at the Majestic to find Frank Tripp awaiting them in the hotel lobby.

'Hi there, our vic was staying in Room 39. I've already got the pass key, so we may as well get straight up there' the detective said. He was looking puzzled and, as the three of them walked towards the lift, said

'I still can't understand why the maids didn't call it in when they went to do clean up this morning.'

'I only hope that they didn't just clean up if they **did** see something!' Eric replied, pressing the button for the appropriate floor.

As they reached the room, Calleigh indicated that both men stop, and pointed at the door.

'There's your answer, Frank, Eric. The killer hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the doorknob to avoid early discovery. The maids won't go in if they see that, which is real lucky for us, as it means the crime scene will be intact. As there's bound to be evidence in the hallway as well, which d'you wanna take, Eric?'

Eric opted to take the hallway, which left Frank and Calleigh to cover the bedroom. He soon found traces of someone heading towards the service elevators or the back stairs. Drawing a blank on the stairs, he then turned his attention to the two service elevators. Catching sight of an "Out of Order" sign on one, he proceeded to check the other. Finding nothing untoward, he had a sudden idea, and went to find Tripp.

'Frank, could you find out when the second service elevator became out of order – or indeed if it **is** out of order?' he asked.

'Can do, Eric. Why, have you got something?'

'Don't know yet, found nothing so far, but it's just possible that our perp decided to delay detection further by using a variation of the ruse that he used on this room'.

'I'm on it!' Tripp headed for the door, intent on finding the hotel manager.

'Don't forget to ask about the surveillance tapes!' Calleigh called after him as he left the room. Eric looked surprised.

'Surveillance tapes, Cal?' he asked.

'Yeah, I noticed a camera as we got into the lift, so hopefully both our vic and the killer are on tape. Anyway, I've asked Frank to see about getting all the tapes from the last twenty four hours, just in case. You may as well give me a hand here until he gets back, that way, he won't have to come find you!' and she gave Eric her 500 megawatt smile.

Eric helped Calleigh until Tripp came back a short time later with the news that the interior surveillance tapes were already on their way to the lab and that, as far as anybody knew, neither service elevator was out of order. Eric immediately went back to process the second elevator, and was just about done, when the other two, having finished the bedroom, came to join him.

'What'cha got Eric?' asked the big detective.

'Blood traces, biologicals, bodily fluids, some minute epithelials and a couple of partial prints. One of the partials is on the button for the parking garage, so I was just about to head down there now to see what I can find!'

'We'll come give you a hand' said Calleigh. 'It'll be quicker with three of us, and we can get back to the Lab faster. I have a feeling that Horatio's gonna be calling a meeting, so we'd better have something to show him!'

At around 4.30pm that evening, Horatio gathered most of his team in the layout room to share whatever evidence had been gathered so far. Only Natalia Boa Vista was missing; she'd requested more time to work on the previous four cases.

'Okay everyone, let's find out more about our latest victim. His name is Antonio Lippi, he's 27 years old and he's an Italian National. Alexx?'

'Cause of death is definitely Blunt Force Trauma. He was killed at approximately 2.30am this morning, but was raped before he was killed. No defensive wounds were found on the body, however the Tox Screen results, as well as showing a small amount of alcohol, indicate the possible presence of some sort of date- rape drug. I've asked if it's possible to establish exactly what, but the results won't be available until tomorrow.

As the M.E. concluded her report, she noticed that, apart from Horatio- who looked his usual, impassive self- the male members of the team were looking decidedly ill.

'God Ryan, this guy must be **so** sick and twisted!' commented Eric, sotto voce, to his friend and colleague. However Horatio, who had ears like a Lynx, overheard him.

'Quite Eric, which is why we need to do our job in order to catch him as soon as possible. Ryan, what do we have from the beach?'

'Not a lot unfortunately. It looks like an off- road vehicle was used to dump the body- well it's the only thing capable of coping with the sand!- but the sand was too soft to hold any tyre prints. We could see the track it took, but no prints. The same goes for footprints, soft sand won't hold 'em so, although there were plenty of indentations, nothing usable I'm afraid. Our perp must have been interrupted though, as the body was only partially buried. There was a small trail of blood drops leading from the vic to where the vehicle must have been parked, about 5 yards away. There was also a plastic sheet nearby and it's possible that the vic was wrapped in it, but I'm still in the process of testing it.'

'Thank you Ryan, keep on it. Eric?'

'There were definite blood traces in the hallway, leading from the victim's room to the second service elevator. The killer had tried to avoid detection by putting an "Out of Order" notice on it. In the elevator, there were blood traces, biologicals, bodily fluids, some minute epithelials and a couple of partial prints which I need to run through AFIS. One of the partials was on the parking garage button, and, when the three of us got down there, there were blood traces near one of the corner parking spots, so it looks like the killer had to put the body down to open the trunk of his vehicle. Calleigh, why don't you let them know what was found in the bedroom?'

Everyone's eyes turned towards the blonde CSI. 'The killer tried to delay detection by putting a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the bedroom door- a similar ruse to the one he used on the elevator- but there were no prints on the door handle except the victims, so he must have used gloves. Inside, one of the beds was unused, which is no surprise as Tripp said that our vic wasn't sharing with anyone. The other one.........' She paused and grimaced, wrinkling her nose. 'Well, let's just say that Antonio must have been a busy boy, as there were plenty of biologicals present! However, there was fresh blood mixed with semen on the bottom sheet. I've sent the samples to DNA, but I'm still waiting for the results. There were fibre traces on both head and footboards, so the victim was secured at some point. He was also killed on the bed, as, when I examined the pillows, I hit the jackpot! The bottom one was covered with blood, which the killer had tried to hide, by turning it over and placing the other pillow on the top instead, but some of the blood had also soaked into the mattress. Unfortunately, there was no sign of either rope or murder weapon so he must've taken them with him, but there are still the interior surveillance tapes to check, and I've asked Frank to go get the ones that cover the garage.'

As Calleigh finished her report, Horatio nodded his approval. 'Okay, good work all round people! It looks like this guy is starting to make mistakes. Miss Boa Vista is still checking the other cases for similarities, but unfortunately, Maxine Valera tells me there's a backlog in DNA, so none of the results will be available until tomorrow. Therefore, as it's nearly the end of shift, I'd like you all to go home, relax and unwind tonight and we can come back to the case with fresh eyes in the morning. Goodnight and Thank you everyone!'

As the others filed out, Eric hung back for a moment to speak to Horatio. 'I hope you plan on taking your own advice H! You need to unwind just as much as the rest of us! You wanna go grab a beer and then come back to my place? We could watch TV and get a take out?'

Horatio shook his head at his brother- in- law. 'No thanks Eric, I've already got plans for the evening. Thanks for the offer though, but I'll take a rain check if I may, okay?'

As Eric left the Lab, he felt surprised by Horatio's words. Usually, while on a case they almost had to prise Horatio away from the Lab, as he was apt to start earlier and finish later than any of them, in an effort to solve the case in the shortest time possible. In fact, after Marisol's death, he'd been in danger of burning himself out in order to forget what had happened, and Alexx had actually had to order Horatio to go home a couple of times. That situation had eased somewhat after Rio, but he still had a bit of a reputation as a workaholic. Then Eric remembered that he hadn't had time to ask H what had happened with his "rescue act" on Monday evening. For a moment, he contemplated going back, but then decided that it could wait until the morrow, as H certainly wouldn't thank anyone who made him late for whatever his planned entertainment was.

At around 10pm that night, Horatio dropped Fiona back at the hotel. She'd told him that Monica had gone out with Johnny, her new boyfriend, to a restaurant, so the room was unoccupied until she got back. This meant that, for once, Fi could relax on her own. The film had been a complete success, the comedy having appealed to both of them as they discovered a shared sense of humour. In fact, Fi was still giggling when they left the movie theatre. As they'd managed to catch an early showing, afterwards Horatio had parked up and they'd walked along the sidewalk above the beach for a while. Astonishingly, Horatio had found Fi to be very easy to talk to, as she was a good listener, and had told her about his earlier life, with his brother, in New York- including, surprisingly, the fact that he'd had to kill his abusive father for murdering his mother (which not many people knew about). She'd been sympathetic, but not judgemental, merely saying that Horatio had to live with what he'd done, but if he hadn't done it, both he and his brother might have suffered the same fate. She'd asked about his brother, but Horatio only said that he'd been (supposedly) killed for being a "dirty" cop, until it emerged that he'd actually been deep undercover in order to bust a drugs ring. Somehow, he also found himself telling her about Marisol and his short- lived marriage. This in turn, had led to him talking about Rio, and what had happened there- including Ray's death at the hands of Antonio Riaz. He admitted that he wasn't proud of what he and Eric had done in Brazil, but the government hadn't been prepared to do anything and they'd both wanted some sort of closure after Marisol's death, so even though he didn't believe in vigilante justice, would be prepared to do it again if necessary.

Fi had surprised him then, by giving him a swift hug, before telling him that she wasn't at all surprised that the government had done nothing, as most governments seemed to be the same the world over, but that for his own peace of mind, he could've done nothing else.

She'd pulled away after that, seemingly embarrassed slightly and, seeing a burger stall just ahead, had suggested something to eat. Horatio had insisted on paying for both burgers- in spite of her protests that she could pay for her own- and then, still eating, they'd walked back to the car, then he'd dropped her back at the hotel.


	4. Chapter 4

**4****th**** chapter of 7- the ****proper**** chapter 2 is also up. As usual, don't own, only borrowing. BTW, doesn't anyone want to review this, I'd like some feedback!**

**Thursday**

Thursday morning found Horatio at his desk by 8am, in order to try to get some of his outstanding paperwork cleared up. He was scheduled for a budget meeting with the Chief at 9am and, although he hated meetings- being a more "hands- on" type of boss- knew that they were part of his responsibilities, so put up with them, even though he usually ended up walking out in annoyance! However, he thought that he'd better get some paperwork cleared up before then, as the Chief would be almost certain to ask about some memo or other that he should have read, but was in the "to do" pile (the one that was twice as big as the others!) because he hadn't caught up on his paperwork!

He completed the paperwork from the previous case, read through half-a-dozen memo's (two of which said exactly the same thing only in different jargon), one of which needed to be passed on to the team and finally turned to his mail. Most of it was routine, and quickly dealt with. The final letter however, was addressed in an extremely formal manner, and when opened, proved to be from the parents of Merrilyn James, a music student who had been murdered the previous month. Horatio and his team had been largely instrumental in bringing her killer to justice, and Mr and Mrs James had now sent a formal letter of thanks to the team. They had also enclosed two tickets for a classical concert given by Merrilyn's college contemporaries "in the hope that someone could use them".

Horatio knew that most of his team preferred very different musical fare, so no- one, apart from himself would consider going, and he had a sneaking suspicion that the tickets had been the James' own, and they couldn't face going after what had happened to Merrilyn! He wondered if there was any hope of Fiona still being in Miami on the concert date? Checking the tickets, he realised that the concert was taking place that very evening, and also that the letter must have been sitting on his desk for at least a week! He felt a little guilty about the delay, then, just as he was about to call Fiona and invite her, his eye caught sight of the clock. In horror, he realised that he was due with the Chief in less than five minutes! Grabbing the paperwork that he needed to take with him, he hurried out of the office, leaving both letter and tickets on his desk. Unfortunately, inviting Fiona would have to wait!

At around 12.45pm, Horatio stalked back into his office, threw the paperwork onto his desk and flung himself into the chair, before leaning back and closing his eyes. He was hot, hungry and thirsty, as the Chief had shown his disapproval of the Lab's overtime spending by not offering Horatio any refreshment during the lengthy meeting. Horatio was utterly fed up of bureaucrats who were only concerned about getting the best results on the smallest amount of money possible. They didn't give a toss about either the victims, or their families! Yes, Horatio knew how much staffing the Lab cost, yes, he also knew how much the very latest equipment cost, but Miami- Dade Crime Lab had one of the best crime clean- up rates in the entire country, and you didn't get that if you only spent peanuts! In the end, Horatio had told the Chief, in no uncertain terms, that he'd better ensure that the Lab's funding stayed in place if he wanted their successes to continue, then stalked out!

Just then, he smelt coffee and opened his eyes just as Eric knocked on the open door, a steaming mug in his hand. 'Here H, you look like you could use this! Bad meeting?' queried the younger man, placing the mug on the desk. 'Bad enough! Chief thinks we're spending too much on overtime!' Horatio sipped the coffee and felt the Cuban's special recipe re-invigorating him. 'Ahh, that's better! How'd you know I needed this?'

'The way everyone was scuttling out of your way when you came back, as you looked in a **very** bad mood!'

'I didn't think it was that obvious, but thanks anyway! Listen, I'll just clear up in here and then I'll catch up with the team, okay?'

Eric went back to work and Horatio quickly tidied away the paperwork that he'd taken to the meeting, in the process, uncovering the letter and tickets he'd had to leave that morning, reminding him that he needed to call Fiona. When her phone went straight to voicemail, he rang off and sent her a text instead. "We have invite to classical concert tonight at 7.15pm. Will pick you up at hotel 6.45pm. If not okay, ring me please! Yrs, H." Satisfied, he put the tickets away in his wallet, then left the office to find his team.

He ran into Alexx in the corridor leading to the morgue. 'There you are Horatio, I was just coming to find you' the M.E. said. There was definitely the date- rape drug Rohypnol in Antonio's blood. There was so little alcohol in his system that he could only have had one drink before being taken ill. Maybe that one drink was spiked?'

It's possible, okay thanks for that, Alexx' said Horatio. 'Oh, would you be able to check if the results from the other four victims contained traces of the same drug?'

'I'll get on it right away!' promised the M.E., turning to go back into the morgue.

As Horatio made his way to the AV lab to find out how Ryan and Eric were getting on with the tapes from the hotel, Frank Tripp caught him up.

'Afternoon Horatio, I've been interviewing Antonio's friends. They all agree that the last time they saw him was just about 11.30pm, in the Allure Nightclub. He'd only had one drink, when he started to feel unwell and took a cab back to the hotel. His friends got back at around 4am, saw the notice on his door, and were too drunk to care if he was still unwell, so didn't check until the morning. The rest, we know.'

'Good work Frank! Hmm, I wonder?' Horatio pondered for a moment, while Frank watched him. Then he looked at the detective. 'Frank, maybe some of the club's staff would know something more. They may at least know which cab company Antonio used. Why don't you take Calleigh and make some enquiries, would you? Oh, and take photo's of the other victims with you as well please. If we get lucky, the staff may recognise one, or all of them!

Horatio continued on his way to the AV lab, leaving Tripp to find Calleigh and go interview Allure's employees.

Ryan and Eric were still checking the surveillance tapes. As the hotel changed the tapes every two hours, they still had quite a few left to do. In the end, frustrated by the lack of success, they'd fast- forwarded most of the garage tapes and by the time they'd reached tape number nine, decided to switch attention to the interior tapes for the time being.

The first sight of Antonio came at 8am, when the group left their respective rooms for breakfast. Two more sightings followed, at 8.40am and 12.15pm. They'd just started checking the eighth tape when Horatio found them.

'Alright gentlemen, what do we have so far?' he questioned.

'Only a couple of sightings of Antonio, and it's all fairly innocuous stuff, you know, down to breakfast, change of clothes type of thing' replied Ryan. However, we **may **have reached the pertinent tape, this one starts at 10pm. I'll ju....... oh hell, excuse me!' and he raced out of the room, leaving a surprised Horatio alone with his brother- in- law.

'What's up with him, Eric?'

'Dodgy take- out last night, he's been like it all day' replied the Cuban, pausing the tape that he'd been checking. 'I told him earlier to go see if Alexx has got anything to take the edge off it, maybe this time he'll listen! By the way, H' he went on, as Horatio turned to leave the room. 'I haven't had a chance to ask you about Monday night. What **did** happen in the end with that woman?'

'Oh that!' Horatio said casually, swiftly deciding that he didn't want even Eric to know too much.

'The friend that she was with wanted some privacy for herself and her new boyfriend, so she'd been kicked out of their room until at least 10.30pm. She basically had nowhere to go, as they'd only arrived in Miami the night before, that's all.'

'Some friend!' commented Eric. 'So okay H, what did you do about it?'

'What makes you think that I did anything?' queried the older man, forgetting, for a moment, exactly how well the younger knew him.

'Because I know you too well H, and you had that protective look in your eye- the one that you keep for the victims- when I left that bar! There's just no way you wouldn't have done something about it, so c'mon, spill!'

Horatio sighed inwardly, realising that Eric wouldn't be put off by evasions, so he'd have to resort to half- truths-which he disliked doing- instead.

'Okay, if you really must know, I frightened off a roughneck who started to bother her, and then took her for a meal, before dropping her back at her hotel. That's all that happened Monday night, alright?'

Eric wasn't really satisfied with Horatio's reply, as he could sense that there was more to be said, but before he could either comment, or question Horatio further- as he had every intention of doing!- the door opened and Ryan came in, looking distinctly better than when he'd left.

'Sorry H, I knew I shouldn't have had that curry last night!' he apologised, before turning to his other colleague. 'Where've you got to, Eric?'

'Nowhere, I thought I'd better wait for you! I hope you went to see Alexx, because we've got another eight tapes to get through!' said the other man, as Ryan took a seat. 'If you keep on having to disappear, it'll take all night!'

Immersed once again in the tapes, neither of the younger CSI's noticed when Horatio quietly left the room. He checked with Valera in the DNA lab, only to be told that Calleigh already had some of the results, but the rest wouldn't be ready for another hour. Realising that he could do nothing but wait, he went back to his office, on the way, looking in on Natalia Boa Vista and telling her to come to the meeting that he would be calling later that afternoon.

The team gathered in the layout room just before 4.30pm that afternoon. When Natalia joined them, carrying a slim file, Eric noticed that she didn't look entirely confident, so he moved to join her. 'What's up Nat, you look worried?' he asked the woman with whom he'd had a brief fling about 12 months before.

'I've found a lot of similarities, but also some differences and I can't help thinking that I may have missed something! When we're done here, would you mind double-checking for me, and also doing the comparison to our latest victim please Eric? I'll clear it with H.'

Before Eric could reply however, the door opened and Horatio came in, followed by Frank Tripp. 'Okay people, hopefully this meeting should fill in a few blanks in our case. Frank do you want to go first?'

The big detective nervously cleared his throat before he could speak. 'Well, Calleigh and I interviewed all the staff at the "Allure" and one of the Bar Tenders and the doorman recognised Antonio as having been there on Tuesday. The doorman says that he saw him leave in a cab at around 11.30pm that night- which is consistent with what we already know- but the cab didn't have the company's name on it, also, he didn't recognise the driver. He also said that Antonio seemed to be staggering a little, but thought he was just drunk. That means we're gonna have to check every cab company in Miami to see if we can turn up that driver! Some of the other bar staff also recognised three of the other four vics as having been at the club, but they were vague as to dates and times!'

As the Texan finished speaking, Horatio, who had been looking increasingly thoughtful, frowned. 'Hmm, looks like we need to check the staff employment records in case of any priors. Would you handle that please Calleigh? And Valera said she gave you the DNA results?'

The blonde CSI gave her boss a sunny smile, before saying 'The blood found in the hotel room belongs to our victim. Most of the other biologicals were female- I **said** Antonio had been a busy boy! - however, the semen found mixed with the blood belonged to an unknown male. I've got Valera comparing it to samples taken from the other four victims as we speak. Oh, and the blood from the corridor, the elevator, the garage** and** the beach was the victims'. Ryan, did you manage to get anything off that plastic sheet?'

'No such luck, it must've been dumped by someone else!' exclaimed the young man. 'However, both Antonio and his killer **did **show up on the surveillance tapes. Eric, why don't you show them what we got?'

The Cuban turned to the computer and brought up a screenshot. 'As you can see, this is taken at 11.45pm. The victim is being helped back to his room by someone who we think must be the killer, as he goes into the room and doesn't leave straight away. The next shot-' he brought it up 'shows the killer leaving the room at around 2.45am, carrying Antonio's body wrapped in a blanket. The final sighting-' he again changed the picture 'is of the killer opening his trunk to put the body inside. Unfortunately, the killers face never once shows up on camera, and running the partial prints I got didn't come up with any hits on AFIS either, so he's not in the system.' concluded Eric, looking frustrated.

Horatio, appreciating the way the team were interacting with each other, nodded approval, then turned to the M.E. 'Alexx, do we have those other results that I asked for?

'Unfortunately not Horatio, but they've promised them for first thing tomorrow, so as soon as I have them, you'll be the first to know!'

'Thank you Alexx' replied Horatio, then transferred his gaze to Natalia. 'Now Miss Boa Vista, perhaps you'd share your findings with us?'

Natalia, looking nervous, opened the file. 'Well, the four victims were all tourists. There was one Swede, one French- both male- one Dutch and one German- both female. The killer doesn't appear to be targeting a specific nation, just tourists in general. There's no specific age target either, as the victims ages range from 20- 55. However, all four were found buried in a 2-mile stretch of beach, but we discovered that the beach wasn't the primary crime scene. All four were actually murdered in their hotel rooms and C.O.D. was Blunt Force Trauma in all cases. There were ligature marks present on all wrists and ankles; also, all four had been raped at least twice, although only one unidentified DNA was present in each case.'

'That's all I've been able to discover so far, but I have a feeling that I may have missed something, so I've asked Eric to check my findings, and also to compare them to our latest victim, if that's okay with you Horatio?' she looked questioningly at her boss.

'Perfectly, thank you Miss Boa Vista' replied the older man. 'Right, this is where we go from here' he went on. 'Calleigh, you're checking Allure's employment records. Eric, you and Miss Boa Vista go over her findings again, in case something was missed. Ryan, I'd like you to help Frank check out the cab companies, to see if you can find that driver. However' he held up one finger as they all prepared to leave. 'It can wait until tomorrow. You're all tired, as you've worked hard today, and it's nearly the end of shift, so go home. Everything will keep until the morning. Oh and Ryan......' he paused for a second, then grinned at the young CSI. 'No more dodgy curries, okay!'

Ryan looked abashed, and fidgeted. Alexx intervened' Don't worry Horatio, he's coming to dinner at our house tonight so it'll be okay! The poor baby looks half- starved and obviously needs taking care of!'

The team were laughing as they left the room. 'Now you're in trouble Ry!' commented Eric, as the two men left together. 'She's gonna "mother" you! You won't be able to get away with **anything **from now on!'

Horatio and Alexx, overhearing this exchange smiled broadly as they followed the rest of the team out of the layout room. Alexx waited until the rest of the team had vanished, before asking 'Horatio honey, why don't you come to dinner as well, it'd do you good to socialise a bit more. It won't be anything fancy, so no need to dress up. You're another one who looks like he needs feeding up!'

Horatio grinned at her, saying 'Don't try to "mother" me Alexx, it's never going to work! Dinner at your place sounds good, but I already have plans for the evening, so I'll take a rain check on that! See you tomorrow!'

He left, leaving the M.E. looking perplexed. As far as she knew, Horatio **never** made plans for the evening- at least, he hadn't since Marisol's death! Oh sure, he might go for a beer after work, with Eric, or maybe over to her house for a meal, but that was usually in response to a spontaneous invite. She could only hope that, if he **was** thinking of getting involved with someone, he could avoid getting hurt. She knew that he'd had a fair amount of personal- also professional- tragedy in his life and had realised after the return from Rio that he was trying to distance himself more from the team in order to avoid more hurt. Then she gave a graceful shrug. She could keep her own counsel and if Horatio wanted her to know more of his plans, no doubt he'd tell her sooner or later.

On leaving the concert hall that evening, the Hummer got caught in a major traffic snarl- up, caused when a truck jack- knifed after slamming on his brakes in order to avoid a driver who had run a red light at a main intersection. Luckily, the crash had caused no injuries, but unfortunately, the truck had been carrying soap powder, and some of the cartons had burst, spilling their contents over the highway. Also, while the truck had- by a miracle! - avoided any other vehicles, it **had** taken out a fire hydrant, so water was spraying out everywhere, mixing with the powder, causing the whole intersection to look like a giant wash tub full of soapsuds!

Fiona and Horatio spent the delay discussing the concert. The first half hadn't really appealed- neither were fans of Mahler or Wagner! – but after the interval, the pieces had been much more to both their tastes. Fiona insisted that the elderly gentleman next to her must have been asleep during the first half, as the "cannons" in the "1812 Overture" made him almost jump off the seat! Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" had provided a soothing contrast to the first piece, and they were still discussing the merits of the two solos from "The Magic Flute" – Horatio preferring the comedy of "Papageno's" solo, whereas Fiona loved the more dramatic "Queen of the Night" aria- when traffic finally began to move. They'd just got clear of the intersection, and were moving into less congestion, when Fi began to giggle.

'What are you laughing at?' Horatio asked her.

'I was just remembering that poor soloist's face when his string went!' she returned, still giggling, and Horatio joined in her laughter. It really had been very funny when, during the final piece of the evening, Mozart's "Violin Concerto No. 5", one of the soloists strings had snapped right in the middle of a solo section! The audience had sympathised of course, but the soloist's horrified face when he realised what had happened had been an absolute picture! It was this memory which had sparked off the laughter.

'By the way', Horatio said, when they'd stopped laughing, 'Pizza, Pasta or Burger tonight? It's about time that you and I had something to eat'.

'Horatio, you really shouldn't keep doing this you know!' she exclaimed, looking worried. We've been out somewhere every night, and you've paid for everything! I really shouldn't take advantage of you like this!'

Horatio knew that he shouldn't feel so surprised. Fi,- as she'd been proving all week- had a trick of never doing the expected thing, however, crucially, she hadn't said a firm "no", so he said 'Hey, I offered, and I'm enjoying myself okay! You're definitely not taking advantage, so Pizza, Pasta or Burger?'

'Well if you're absolutely certain, then Pizza please. But H.....'

'Will you stop arguing!' he scolded gently. 'You're here on vacation, and all I'm doing is making sure that you have a good time and don't feel bored or left out because your friend has a new boyfriend, so will you please stop worrying, y'know you worry way too much!'

'Hmm, from what I've heard, that's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black!' she riposted. 'Did you know that a lot of the locals call you "Miami's Saviour" or "Miami's Protector"? Loads of people think that you're little short of a saint, for the way you and your team protect this city!' She was intrigued when Horatio blushed a little, seemingly embarrassed.

'Hey, all I've ever wanted is justice for the victims and their families. Most people don't realise that the families of the dead end up as victims too, so **someone** has to look out for them! I'm really no- one special though, I mean, anyone could do what I do'

'The point is' Fiona replied quietly 'that most people don't! H, the difference between you and them, is that you really **care**, and that's what makes people admire and respect you. They can see that your concern is genuine and **that's** why they think of you as special!'

Horatio was silenced by her speech. He knew that he and his team were respected throughout the city for their actions, but no- one had ever managed to put the reasons for it into words quite as clearly before. 'How do you know?' he asked her at last, as he swung the Hummer into the restaurant parking lot.

'I've been overhearing things on the beach, during the day' she returned, as he parked up and started to get out. She stayed him, with a gentle hand on his arm. 'Besides which, I do have proof. After all, it's pretty much what led you to help me on Monday night, if you really think about it, isn't it?'

'Thanks a lot!' he replied, and said no more. He spent a good deal of the meal in thinking over what she'd said and wondering whether he'd be able to find out what she really thought of him, and Fi, finding him pre- occupied, only ventured a few remarks of her own.

By the time they'd eaten however, and were back in the Hummer, heading for the hotel, he'd come to a decision about what he wanted to do next. 'How about we do a show tomorrow night?' he asked her. 'I'll see about getting the tickets, then maybe we can find something special for Saturday, as it's your last night. Now don't say anything!' he stopped her protest before she could do more than open her mouth to utter it. 'I'd really, really like to do this for you, so you will allow me to won't you?' he coaxed

'Oh H, you make it so hard to resist! I haven't been out with Monica and the guys once this week and she'll be ever so cross, however if you're really sure.......' her words trailed off as they stopped outside the hotel.

'Good' he said, as he helped her out of the passenger seat. 'I'll see about it and call you tomorrow with the details, okay. Goodnight Fi.'

He was about to get back in the car when, from behind him, there was a sudden, raucous burst of laughter, followed by a shriek of 'Fiona, where the hell've you been? I thought you were coming drinking with me and the boys! Benji's been missing you tonight!'

Horatio turned round and recognised the blonde that he'd seen on Wednesday. She was surrounded by four men, and all five looked more or less intoxicated (two of the men less so however). They all followed – a now silent- Fiona into the hotel lobby. Horatio, watching and startled at the way her demeanour had changed, saw one of the men trying to put an arm around her, but she evaded him and headed for the stairs, while the others all made their unsteady way towards the lifts.

Once they'd all vanished, Horatio got back in the Hummer and, making a mental note to ask Fi what was going on, drove home.


End file.
